Twice this
week I have been discussing the woes of trying to get people to donate. Twice
this week I have been told, “Well…the economy is bad and it is an election
year.”
WHAT!!!!
IT IS A
DOLLAR PEOPLE! WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?
My apologies
for yelling, but seriously, what is the big deal? Why is it so hard to give one
dollar? If there is an answer, no one is telling me.
Let me take
a moment to see what costs a dollar.
There are
stores that have everything is a dollar as their gimmick. So theoretically you
could be giving up any item in one of those stores. You can get a burrito at
Taco Bell. I think they are tasty, but I can live without at least one. Any
large beverage at McDonald’s seems to be only a buck. Sodas are bad for you so
giving up one is just doing yourself a favor. Target has a dollar section full
of needless items that scream “buy me” when you walk into the store. I am
guilty of purchasing said items. Doing without will save me the headache of
having to throw it away when it breaks. The list can go on if you like.
You can
afford to donate one dollar. Is it the time it takes to click several times
that turns you off? Is it the processing fee that has you holding on to your
change? Email me and we can work something out. My point, there is absolutely
no reason you can give me as to why you won’t part with four quarters.
I am a
broken record, I know. I think some of my problem here is that I am not
speaking face-to-face. If you saw my face, heard my voice, well, I would
convince you to donate. Sometimes I wish I had a picture of what my mom looked
like during the last three weeks of her life here. My dad made it very clear
that he did not want to remember her that way so we were to take absolutely no
pictures. Actually there is one picture. She was in the hospital and the chaplain
stopped by for one of many visits. He asked if my mom minded being photographed
for the local newspaper. It had something to do with the cancer care center
there. She agreed and it appeared in the newspaper. I have it, but out of
respect to my dad, I will not show it.
I won’t
speak for all who have experienced what my family has, but the transformation
of my mom’s outer appearance was shocking. During the last three weeks, she
starved to death. I realize some are saying right now “why didn’t you feed her
properly?” We tried. This cancer killed her appetite. She tried but she could
only manage a few sips of broth. She lost her strength. She couldn’t even drink
through a straw. We would put the straw in the water, cover the opening and
then let it drain into her mouth. Over and over we did this. She could only handle
a little. She began to swell. We asked where the fluid was coming from. We were
told that her body was shutting down and it couldn’t process fluid like healthy
bodies. Her upper body was skin and bones. Unrecognizable is how she looked
that last day. Pancreatic cancer robbed her of everything…..except love. She
would sort of zone in and out. Sometimes she would just stare off, like she was
watching something. Other times she would sort of snap out of it and seem so
surprised and happy to see us. No, she was never robbed of love.
We all share
that. We love. That is why I keep going. I love my mom so very much. Each day
is a struggle. There are others who are feeling the same way and there will be
others who will feel the same way. My love for my mom keeps me asking YOU to
donate. I don’t want anyone else to go through what pancreatic cancer put us
through. I want a cure. You should want a cure. Like I said earlier, I can’t
speak for others who have experienced this disease, but I bet much of what I
said my mom went through is actually typical. Is that something you want to
live through? I didn’t think so. Click on the link, donate and live knowing
that your dollar is going to help stop this disease.
Donating is the only way
to stop it.
I will end
again with the wisdom of my four year old son. The other day I was feeling
exceptionally sad. I was sitting in the floor crying. He came in hugged me and
asked what was wrong. I told him that I missed my mom. He stepped back, his
pouty lip came out and he asked, “Did she die?” I said yes, Emmy died, she
lives in God’s house, remember?” He said yes and gave me a spectacular hug. I
said again that I was just sad because I miss my mom. He said, “That’s okay
Mama, you still have Papa.”
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